Jeff Shelden recognized for service, Historic Preservation Review Board
Jeff Shelden of Lewistown holds the distinction of serving on the State Historic Preservation Review Board longer than any other member. Jeff’s initial stint on the board commenced in the autumn of 2010 and lasted through May of 2012, an appointment truncated by his time in the Foreign Service. Upon Jeff’s return to Montana, he garnered a reappointment beginning in October 2016, serving through September 2024 in the role of “history professional” in the field of architecture. Jeff earned his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Idaho and holds professional licenses in Montana and Wyoming.
Jeff began his career in 1978, serving his apprenticeship with Archambault and Company in Browning. In 1982, Jeff embarked on a path of sole practitioner opening his firm, Prairie Wind Architecture. Jeff began in East Glacier Park before moving to Lewistown, where he has lived and practiced ever since.
Jeff provided a variety of services to customers that included design, evaluation and planning, bidding and negation, project administration and management, contract administration, and facility administration. Prairie Wind's renovation of St. Margaret Catholic Church in Cut Bank won a Merit Award for Excellence from the Montana Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Jeff retired in 2015 but remains active and retains his architectural licensure.
From September 2012 to spring of 2015, Jeff served in the Foreign Service with the U.S. Department of State. Jeff’s Foreign Service included a stint in Washington D.C., and a two-year tour abroad in the Republic of the Marshall Islands as a Political/Economic/Consular Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Majuro (Ma-har-o?).
Since his retirement, Jeff and his wife Lois devote themselves to hiking anywhere and everywhere, often following trails and paths many find daunting, but always tied to history and architecture.
Jeff’s expertise and insight benefited both the Review Board and the nominations. Jeff made every nomination better, assisting with the clarity of building descriptions and often relating stories behind the style of architecture or the architect themselves. Whether Jeff likes it or not, one day the National Register will include a building he designed!
Although Jeff served more than eight years total on the Review Board, the time passed too quickly. We shall miss Jeff very much. Please join me in thanking Jeff for his time on the board.
The Montana State Preservation Review Board is a nine-member board appointed by the Governor. Their duties include the review and approval of National Register documentation, the review of appeals to National Register nominations, providing written opinions on the significance of properties, the review of completed State historic preservation plans, and providing general advice and professional recommendations to state agencies and the State Historic Preservation Office on the stewardship of heritage properties.